Bowling pin reconditioning apparatus



Mam}! 1944- H. F. PHILLIPS BOWLING PIN RECONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 31, 1941 Patented Mar. '14, 1944 UNITED STATES- PATENT. OFFICE BOWLING PIN RECONDITIONING APPARATUS Harold F. Phillips, Belmont, Mass.

Application October 31, 1941, Serial No. 417,319

8 Claims. (01. 142-56) The present invention relates to the recondi tioning of bowling pins and to a tool for such purpose.

Bowling pins, such for example as duck pins,

bottle pins, candle pins and the like are provided with a bottom supporting or bearing surface extending at substantially right angle to the longitudinal axis of the pin. These supporting surfaces during use soon become broken, dented, or otherwise damaged and as a result become rounded or reduced in area to such an extent that the pins'will not stand up in the bowling alley. The side surfaces'of the pins also become dented or scored by striking against each other or by being struck by the bowling ball.

. In the past attempts have been made by ihe bowling alley owner to refinish the ends of the pins but the results have been generally unsatisfactory :because of the lack of proper equipment. Hence, the pins have sometimes been sent out to a machine shop for refinishing. The result obtained, however, was generally unsatisfactory because, even though a lathe was employed the pins could not :be properly held to insure accurate work so that the pins were spoiled and were trimmed ofi more than was necessary. Furthermore, the delay in returning the pins to the alley made it necessary for the bowling alley operator to maintain an extra supply of pins to take the place of those undergoing repair. This, of course, substantially increased the investment.

The provision of arelatively simple or inexpensive machine which is adapted for use by the alley operator for truing the pins and for reconditioning the surfaces of the pins of the type disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 316,384 filed January 30, 1940, of which the present application is a continuation in part, has solved the problem of holding the bowling pin securely in position while the refinishing operation is being performed. This machine has come into extensive use and has proved to .be satisfactory.

. The present invention relates particularly to a reconditioning tool for bowling pins which is particularly adapted to be used in conjunction with the machine described and claimed in the above mentioned application for United States Letters Patent.

An object of the present invention is to provide a tool which is engageable with and which is driven by a rotating bowling pin for reconditioning the side surfaces thereof. As illustrated, the present invention contemplates the use of a substantially cylindricalmember mounted for rota tion at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the bowling pin and which is provided with a plurality of cutting elements for reconditioning and smoothing the side surface of bowling pins, the cutter member being rotated by its engagement with the rotating pin or equivalent. As illustrated, the cylindrical member may be provided with a stack of discs each having cutting surfaces arranged to engage the pin; or the cylindrical member may be provided with a coating of abrasive material for removing or reconditioning the injured side surfaces of a bowling pin. Such constructions constitute further objects of the invention.

A still further object of the invention is to improve generally upon the construction and oper ation of machines and tools for reconditioning bowling pins and to improve upon turning methods.

With the above and other objects and features in view, the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation illustrating a preferred form of machine with which the reconditioning tool embodying the present invention is adapted to be used;

I Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the reconditioning tool illustrating one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the reconditioning tool shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view in longitudinal cross-section illustrating the construction of the cutting ele-.- ment of the reconditioning tool shown in Figs. 2 and 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in cross-section on a very much enlarged scale illustrating the construction of the cutter element shown in Fig. 4;

and

Fig. 6 is a view partly in section of a cutting tool provided with an abrasive cover.

The machine herein illustrated is designed to recondition bowling pins such as the bottle pin [0 shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The machine may also be used to recondition a somewhat shorter type known as a duck pin or a candle pin, none of which are illustrated herein as they are well known, or'the-machine may in general be used for any of the usual types of bowling pins.

The bowling pin III is provided with a supporting base l2 and an axial cylindrical bore or hole [4. The base I2 is flat or, preferably, dished or concave so that the outer edge portion only of the base engages the floor of the alley and provides a stable support for the pin during use,

The bottom edge of the base becomes damaged in use and one of the functions of the machine is to recondition the supporting base l2 by removing the damaged material and cutting a new surface.

After the base has been refinished or reconditioned, it is desirable to recondition the side of the bowling pin by removing material from the roughened surface thereof by a tool I 6 which is arranged to be moved manually axially of the bowling pin when the pin is rotated.

The pin conditioning machine with which the illustrated reconditioning tool I6 is designed to be used includes a flat-top horizontal base I8 formed of metal or any other rigid suitable material. The left hand end of the base I8 has secured thereto by suitable fastenings an electric motor having a shaft 22 extending along the longitudinal axis of the base IS. The motor and its accessories form the head stock of the machine. The other end of the base I8 has secured thereto by a suitable bolt 24 and aligning pins (not shown), a tail stock comprising a bracket 26 provided with a pair of substantially vertical spaced supporting arms 28, 30. The upper ends of the arms 28, 30 are provided adjacent their front and rear portions with aligned openings, for slidably receiving horizontally disposed slides or rods 32, to the inner ends of which is fixed a bowling pin base support and reconditioning mechanism 34.

The bowling pin base supporting and reconditioning mechanism 34 includes a vertically disposed casting 36 having bosses adjacent to its upper right hand end portion provided with horizontal openings for receiving the left hand ends of the slides or rods 32 and in which the slide rods 32 are suitably secured. The-casting 36 is also provided with means for supporting between the slide rods 32 and in alignment with the axis of rotation of the shaft 22a combined drill and boring tool and center 38 which is clamped in position. The casting 36 is also provided with means for slidably receiving a cutting tool support 43 which is arranged for movement trans versely of the longitudinal axis of the pin and in engagement with the base I2 to remove the damaged portion of the base of the pin I6. The slide bars 32 are connected together at their right hand ends by a cross member 42 at about the middle portion of which is journalled the reduced right hand end portion of a screw '44 which is threaded into the supporting arm 30 of the bracket 26. Thus, the bowling pin base supporting and reconditioning mechanism34 may be moved toward and away from the base I2 of the bowling pin as desired. The machine is also provided with a chuck 44 which is securely fastened in any suitable manner to the right hand end of the shaft 22 of the motor 20. The chuck 44 herein illustrated is generally in the shape of a hollow truncated cone and is provided adjacent to its right hand end portion with means 46, herein illustrated as a disc, for gripping the head of the bowling pin to prevent relative r0- tational movement between the pin and the chuck in one direction and also to prevent longitudinal movement of the pin. The elements of the machine described above have been described in detail in my co-pending application and need not be described further herein since reference may be had to my prior application fora detailed description of the construction and operation of the elements of the present machine.

It is evident from the above that the chuck 44 and the boring tool 38 inserted in the longitudinal opening I4 of the pin insure that the pin will be rotated about its geometric longitudinal axis. After the pin has been properly positioned in the machine and the boring tool 38 has been driven into the longitudinal opening I4 in the base of the bowling pin III a suihcient distance, the base refinishing and reconditioning tool 40 is moved upwardly by the operator through connections to a handle 48 so that the damaged portion of the base I2 is removed from the pin Ill. After this operation has been completed, the reconditioning tool 46 is returned to the position shown in Fig. 1 by a spring 50.

If th side surface of the pin is damaged, the bowling pin I6 is not removed from the machine but is permitted to continue to rotate and the reconditioning tool I6 of the present invention is then moved into engagement with the side or vertical surface of the bowling pin and the tool i6 is then moved longitudinally thereof and in contact therewith to remove the damaged surface of the pin. The refinishing of the side surfaces of the pins ordinarily is necessary at the time that the supporting base I2 of the pin I0 is refinished.

The hand operated tool I6 comprises a suitable parallel with the vertical plane including the axis of the bowling pin. 7

The shaft 58 removably 'and rotatably supports a rotatable cylindrical cutting member 66. As illustrated most clearly in Fig. 4, said cutting member comprises a stack of axially aligned cutting discs 62 of the same outside diameter spaced apart by a series of interposed smaller diameter discs 64. Said discs 62 and 64 have central apertures and the alternate succession of large and small contacting discs are stacked on 'a hollow hub member 66 which is passed through the disc apertures. Said hub member is longer than the stack of discs and at one end is provided with an enlarged base 68 which overlies the endmost disc on one end of the stack and at the other end I has a projecting screw threaded portion 69 on which a clamping nut 10 is threaded and which nut clamps the discs of the stack together and to the hub.

The hub member 66 has an internal cylindrical passage or bore 12 which extends co-axially with the discs from the base end of the member 66 and terminates about at the screw-threaded portion of the member and is adapted to receive the aforesaid shaft 58 and on which shaft the hub member and its discs are adapted to rotate free- 1y. Said shaft 58 preferably is somewhat longer than the length of the bore T'Zso that the end of the shaft engages the bottom wall of the bore and thus defines the position of the discs on the shaft and also receives the component of axial thrust on the discs.

The upper edges 13, 'see especially Fig. -5,of the large diameter discs 62 are cutting edges and, to facilitate the cutting action the peripheral surfaces of these discs are suitably relieved, chamfered or tapered inwardly from the ed'g's erably upwardly and inwardly or toward the cutter member and has secured thereagainst the fork 82 of a handle including a cylinder 84 disposed between the ends of the fork and secured thereto 86,,the handle being parallel with the face 8!] and hence extending upward and inward toward the cutter member. The handle permits 1a firnrgrasp of the tool by the hand for pressing it fagainst the bowling pin and for moving it axially thereof over and in contact with the machine base I8 I the tool as thus described, the

y. s re In the use of handle 84 is gripped firmly in the hand while the baseof the tool rests upon the machine base. The tool isthen movedforwardly or toward the rotating. bowling pin until the cutter element is in engagement with the side of the pin. The sharp cutting edges 13 of the cutting discs engage the side of the pin and cut a chip therefrom. Si'n'c'e't'ne discs are at an angleof about 45 with the rotating pin, the cutting action is essentially a shearing action so that the material is removed from the pin in a smooth shaving. Due also to the inclination of discs of the cutter member the rotation of the pin also causes the cutter member to rotate on its supporting shaft 58 thereby constantly presenting fresh cutting edges to the rotating pin.

Because of the described arrangement the vertical component of the cutting action is supported largely by the machine base and any axial component is largely absorbed in the rotating of the cutter element. Hence, there is little free thrust in any direction on the tool and it can be held easily against the bowling pin and moved lengthwise thereof in cutting contact with its side surface. The arrangement of the cutting surfaces is such that the depth of the cut is limited so that the cutting edges cannot dig into the pin but a smooth uniform cut can be taken throughout any desired part of the axial length of the pin.

The surface resulting from the cutting member above described usually is sufficiently smooth to constitute the finished surface of the pin and to receive the usual lacquer or varnish coating, although there is no objection to passing a sand paper or the like lightly over the turned surface. The sand paper may be held by the hand or may be carried by a rotatable cylinder as illustrated in Fig. 6.

In Fig. 6 a hub 88 similar to the hub 66 of Fig. 4 carries between its enlarged base 90 and the nut 92 screwthreaded on the other end of the hub a compressible rubber cylinder 94 or its equivalent. A tube 96 of cloth or paper closely fits over the rubber cylinder and the two are held in non-slipping engagement by suitably expanding the cylinder by endwise compression thereof by the nut 92. The outer face of the tube has a facing of cutting particles as sand, emery and the like. The cutting face of the tube is applied to the rotating pin as has been previously described and acts to cut the surface of and smooth the pin, the tube rotating on its supporting shaft. :This modified form .of cutter can; be used to re-dress: completely the side surfacesofthe pin if desired, although the use of the cutter member 60 is preferred at least for the first part of the re-dressing operation as its action is quicker. The sanding cutter can be used for the. final part of the operation if desired. The exchange of cutters obviously is quickly'and simply. done. Y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A hand turning tool comprising a frame having a flat horizontally extended supporting base permitting the frame to have free sliding movement on its base in all horizontal directions on a flat surface adjacent a rotating work piece, said frame having a shaft projected upwardly at an angle of approximately 45 with respect to said supporting base, and a cutting member freely rotatable on said shaft and having cutting peripheries, said 'framehaving -a vertical handle which projects upwardly in a vertical plane which is at an angle of approximately with respect to a vertical plane including said shaft.

2. A hand turning tool comprising a frame having a flat horizontally extending supporting base permitting the frame to have free sliding movement on its base in-all horizontal directions on a flat surface adjacent a rotating work piece, said frame having a shaft. projected upwardly at an angle of approximately 45 with respect to said supporting base, a cutting member freely rotatable on said shaft and having cutting peripheries composed of a collection of co-axlal, axially spaced circular cutting edges, and a handle spaced away from the cutters in a direction generally parallel to said supporting face and transversely of said shaft for moving the cutting members toward and along the surface of a work piece with said shaft generally parallel with said surface.

3. A turning tool comprising a frame, a shaft mounted thereon, a circular cutter rotatable on the shaft, a handle on said frame positioned to permit holding of the periphery of the cutter in engagement with the surface of a work piece rotating about a horizontal axis, said frame having a flat base surface for riding on a flat horizontal supporting surface adjacent the rotating work piece thereby to support the cutter for movement in all horizontal directions and into engagement with the work at such an angle intermediate between the horizontal and the vertical that the cutter is rotated by and in cutting engagement with the work while arranged for movement of the cutter over the extent of the face of the work in its aforesaid angular relation.

4. A cutting tool comprising a base having a flat horizontal bottom supporting surface adapted for free sildingmovement in all horizontal directions over a horizontally extended fiat surface adjacent a rotating work piece, a shaft rising from said base at an intermediate angle between the horizontal and the vertical, a cutter having a circular cutting periphery rotatable on said shaft, and a handle on said base positioned with respect to said shaft and cutter to hold the peripheral portion of the cutter on the side of said shaft opposite said handle against the surface of a work piece rotating about a horizontal axis.

5. A manually operated turning tool arranged to remove material from the surface of awork piece rotating about a horizontal axis comprising a base having a bottom horizontal flat broad face adapted to support the base stably upon and to guide it for free but manually controlled movement in any horizontal direction on and over a flat supporting surface, a shaft carried by and rising from said base, a cutter having a circular cutting periphery rotatably carried by said shaft, and a handle comprising a part of said base positioned to hold against the work piece the peripheral zone of said cutter located on the opposite side of said shaft from said handle, said shaft being inclined at an intermediate angle between the vertical and the horizontal with the plane of the inclined shaft generally perpendicular to the vertical plane passing through said handle and cutting zone of said cutter.

6. A manually operated turning tool comprising a base frame having a flat horizontal broad bottom face adapting the frame for horizontal sliding movement in all directions on and over a fiat surface adjacent a rotating work piece, a handle carried by said frame projected rearwardly thereof, a shaft fixed at its lower end in said frame forwardly of said handle and extended upwardly and sidewise therefrom, and a cutter having a circular cutting periphery rotatably carried by said shaft, said cutter having an axially elongoted bore closed at its upper end and open at its lower end in which said shaft is located, said cutter being retained removably on said shaft solely by its vweight and by the inclination of said shaft.

7. A manually operated turning tool comprising a frame having a flat horizontal broad bottom face adapting the frame for horizontal sliding movement in all directions on and over a cooperating surface, a handle carried by said frame projected rearwardly thereof, a shaft fixed at its lower end in said frame forwardly of said handle and extended upwardly and sidewise therefrom, and a cutter retained removably on said shaft solely by its weight and the inclination of said shaft.

8. A manually operated turning tool arranged to remove material from the surface of a work piece rotating about a horizontal axis comprising a base having a bottom horizontal fiat broad face adapted to support the base stably upon and to guide it for free but manually controlled movement in any horizontal direction on and over a fiat supporting surface, a shaft carried by and rising from said base, a cutter having a circular cutting periphery rotatably carried by said shaft, and a handle comprising a part of said base positioned to hold against the work piece the peripheral zone of said cutter located on the opposite side of said shaft from said handle, said shaft being inclined at an intermediate angle between the vertcial and the horizontal.

HAROLD F. PHILLIPS. 

